Twist
by bloomingred
Summary: UPDATE 4.3.07! AU. Set a few months after Ultimecia's defeat in a world where Rinoa is not the only surviving sorceress.
1. Chapter 1

Dear Rinoa,

I know we've had our differences in the past; some larger than others and some, families have never experienced before or should ever have to.  
But at the end of the day, I believe that I am still your father and that you are still my daughter.  
The point I'm trying to make is; I want you to come home. And if that's not possible, then at least let me be a part of your life again, however small.  
There is a ball to be held in Deling City in two weeks and I would be very happy if you came. Also bring Commander Leonhart if you wish; I'd like to meet the man who is courting my daughter.

Love,  
Your father

Rinoa neatly refolded the letter into her purse and sighed softly. Squall looked at her with concern.

"It's nothing," she managed a smile and his expression returned to its usual apathetic mask as he watched the surroundings fly past the window.

She hadn't believed it when she first read that letter. _These_ were the words of her father, General Caraway, the same man who ignored her and shut her out for all those years… _He_ wanted to be a part of her life?

It must be a fake written by a harrassed secretary -- she frowned at this, going over the words in her mind. All the telltale marks of something her father would've done himself were there. No mention of her mother, no concern for her well being, no unease at her attending a public event, no apology for any of it; always brief, all tact.

But of all things in the world, time traveling tyrants able to possess people at will exempt, she wanted to believe it. Deep down, past her rebellious and indignant streak, past the stubbornness and strong façade, she was still daddy's little girl. She still wanted his love and acceptance, especially now that half the known world hated her for what she was and couldn't help but be; a sorceress.

It wasn't that she was the only surviving one. There were still many hiding from the public eye, maybe living normal lives, maybe suffering in their own personal hell. Some too weak to matter, some powerful enough to hide themselves quite well. But in any case, they were rare enough to be the stuff of fairytales and ghost stories. And the only reason she was well known at all was because of the way she'd received her powers. Because she'd jumped out into space and released Adel. Because Ellone had left a clear mark on her that Ultimecia had been so attracted to. Because she'd saved the world and damned herself when she hadn't meant to.

And that was why, on a dusky Saturday evening, they were stopped in front of the red carpet leading into Augustan Ball, waiting for all hell to let loose; in a car specially provided by the general himself nonetheless.

Squall hadn't been exactly thrilled with the idea of meeting her father and would rather have fallen on his gunblade than go to said ball. Rinoa imagined he didn't like the thought of dozens of people rushing up to him to shake his hand all at one time. But there he was, sitting beside her. Stiff with annoyance and anxiety at the crowd that had already started to mill around their car, but unchangeably, irrevocably, there.

This time, her smile was genuine as she reached over to squeeze his hand. He looked at her with an unwavering devotion that could make her heart melt on the bitterest of days. She was helpless against the temptation to kiss him and frankly didn't really put up much of a fight.

"Are you sure you still want to go in?" He murmured as they parted, gently, gently, caressing her face with hands that could crush a grown man.

"Absolutely," she breathed.

He opened the car door and without delay, the sound of a hundred voices spilled into what had been a safe confine, shouting and screaming their names, for autographs, for pictures. Rinoa was almost overcome by a desire to clutch at Squall to make him take her away, take her home. But instead, with an unearthly calm she never knew she possessed, she smoothed out the few wrinkles her silk gown had procured over their journey, tucked vagrant strands of hair into their place, made sure her purse was in hand, touched the bangle always hanging off her wrist, and stepped out carefully in heels that could stab an eye out.

Selphie would tell her later, after a careful perusal of the daily newspaper, that they looked like quite the couple; he in his SeeD uniform and she in her flowing, simple dress. So well in harmony that her expression exactly mirrored Squall's, a mask of complete seriousness.

Rinoa couldn't even have imagined faking a smile then, however good she was at it. Years of practice as the perfect general's daughter had its uses; the last six months as a sorceress were just a bonus.

So she wasn't fazed at first when Seifer commented, "You've surprised yet again princess. I honestly thought you'd run crying to your daddy by now."

She started to feel bad though when Irvine asked her, "You're really a tough little lady aren't you?"

Her conscience grew heavier when Quistis said, "I truly admire your resilience Rinoa."

She felt horrible when Zell told her, "It's the Balambian hot dogs that make you so strong huh?"

It only got worse when Selphie hugged her and said, "I wish I could be more like you Rinny."

She had wanted to scream and apologize all at the same time -- because she was only_ pretending_, because she was scared out of her mind, beyond words, beyond reason; of what she was, of what would happen, of what could happen.

And then Squall took her aside and held her face in his hands and saved her, all over again.

"It's ok if you're afraid. I'm afraid too."

And she fell in love with him, all over again.

At the time though, all she could think about was not stopping for any reason, cursing anyone for thinking a red carpet walk was glamorous, ignoring the cameras going off until the end of the time, pretending not to hear the whispers and sometimes unashamed insults thrown at her, and most of all, holding onto Squall's arm for dear life. He was the only anchor to her sanity and with him, she felt safe anywhere.

The distance from the car to the entrance of the hall took perhaps a little more than a minute. To Rinoa, it had seemed several lifetimes, and she didn't bother to hide her relief upon crossing the threshold to the quieter foyer. Squall looked relieved too; well as much as he could, being Squall.

The receptionists at the desk were gracious and helpful; probably well trained and very overpaid not to sneer at any guests, no matter their reputation. Apparently the general had already arrived but had not bothered to leave instructions on how to find him. Rinoa frowned at this. Typical of her father to forget such an important detail when it came to her. Nevertheless, she and Squall entered the ballroom in search.

It really was a grand event; a fairytale gala come to life, draped in ivory and marble and velvet and silk and crystal. Chandeliers as tall as a man hung from the ceiling, its thousand mirrors reflecting the light of diamond jewelry shimmering on the people below. An utter waste, she thought, for one night, an utter waste.

But one she was profoundly glad for. The guests were more preoccupied with the decorations and dancing and drinking than glaring at her. They made it half way to one of the tables glittering with glasses and over laden with food without incident, almost.

"Rinoa, you came. I'm glad."

She turned around and smiled weakly at the man standing before her. "Hi Daddy."

Still hale even in his later years, with only a few streaks of gray dampening the same raven hair Rinoa shared with him. There were a few more wrinkles she didn't remember seeing from their last meeting, but he looked much the same.

He made to hug her. Without thinking, she stepped back and cautiously out of reach. An uncomfortable silence settled on both parties.

"I-I'm sorry Daddy," Rinoa stammered. A little behind her, Squall felt her anxiety and touched her shoulder softly. "You wouldn't believe what I've gone through; an ocean, over an entire continent and a pack of photographers, just to see you! -- But I'm… just not ready yet."

"Of course, it's still too soon," the general said quickly. Again, Rinoa seemed skeptical of his intentions. Then he reached out for her hand and enclosed it sincerely between his. "I understand. Take your time."

This time she didn't have to force a smile. A second later, the father daughter moment had passed and they retreated to their opposite corners. Peering around, trying to look interested in the lavish surroundings, they were thankfully joined by a third party.

"Richard! Is that you?"

"Ah Sebastian, it's good to see you! I thought you'd be holed up in the office somewhere today." The two men shook hands vigorously in greeting.

"I thought I would be too, but I was convinced that work could wait for once," the other general laughed. He then seemed to take notice of Rinoa and Squall and bowed his head. "Oh please pardon me, I didn't mean to intrude."

"You weren't Sebastian," Caraway said genteelly. "You remember my daughter don't you?"

"Certainly! You've grown into quite the young beauty. I remember when you were a little girl -- tripping and falling all over my house and I thought your father would sue me for abuse when he saw your bruises," Rialm chuckled.

She beamed back at him; partly because he was too well-mannered to mention her likeness to her mother in her father's presence, and partly because his genuine amusement was infectious. The last time she had seen him was when she was eleven or twelve and the years had taken its toll on him since then. Standing next to her father, he looked older, frailer, even if they were only separated by a few years. Grey had nearly run its full course on his hair, and worry lines were deeply etched on his face. It saddened her to see such a good man be so ill treated by time when she -– she would live his lifetime several times over. Rinoa couldn't resist hugging him; he'd been so kind to her when she needed it most.

"And this is her – well, Squall Leonhart. You know him of course."

"Of course, of course. An honor to meet you sir," he soberly shook hands with Squall.

"You don't have to call me that," the younger man said, uncomfortable with the attention and titles.

"Usually I would take you up on that offer, but you see -- since you're here -- I have a favor to ask of you and I would be uncomfortable trying to be personal with you in this situation when I honestly do not know you well."

Squall seemed to appreciate his frankness but was still annoyed at being asked for a favor by a stranger.

"What do you want exactly?" he asked brusquely. It was a good thing Rinoa always warned him against offending people.

"Straight to the point I see. I'll explain my situation," Rialm became very grave. "I am a part of some very delicate negotiations, the nature of which I cannot fully disclose. However because of my well-known share in these discussions, my family has been targeted. I've made many enemies over the years as a general and I cannot be sure who is trying to hurt my daughter."

Rinoa grimaced at the mention of his daughter. That girl had made her younger years a living hell and she wasn't likely to forget it now. Frankly, she was a little disappointed that no one had succeeded in "harming" her. But she knew that the general loved his daughter well; so for his sake, Rinoa wished that she would be crippled for life instead of fatally wounded.

"For her safety I've posted some soldiers to accompany her, but there have been too many close encounters for my liking. She does not like the idea of a regiment following her around day and night and short of house arrest, I'm really not sure how to protect her if my opposition is this persistent. It's for her sake that I petition you now; I want her to live a normal life without danger because of my occupation. Perhaps a well-trained mercenary would be better able to guard her."

Squall didn't answer right away and his pause was long enough that someone else was able to interrupt the conversation. Someone that Rinoa had been hoping she wouldn't have to see while she was in Deling City, though it was probably already a lost cause when General Rialm came over to speak to her father. Still, there was always a chance, she thought hopefully.

"Father? What are you doing over here? I thought you were getting a drink," a sweet, lilting voice was heard, followed by the appearance of a striking young woman.

No one looking at her would ever suspect anything resembling malevolence. To the rest of the world she was another beautiful, well-brought up creature with wavy coppery locks, eyes the color of red wine, pleasing pouty lips, a stunning body that she was not afraid to show off in a low cut white dress, and an alluring, irresistible air of romance. It was a wonder that she wasn't always stepping over men falling in her path. But Rinoa knew from experience that there was a ruthlessness behind her every smile and gesture; perhaps they'd finally caught on to that.

They had been friends at some point, best friends, as close as real sisters, no secrets were left unsaid. Both the same age, motherless, the daughter of important generals; they'd shared the same problems, the anxieties, the responsibilities, the burdens, and always, always the desire to be perfect.

So when Rinoa told her that she hated her own father for the things he'd done, for the things he hadn't done, that Alex must hate hers too because she must go through the same things, that she missed her mother and Alex was lucky hers was still alive, why didn't she ever try to find her -- she was surprised by her friend's response. Her young face flushed with anger, Alexandria left a stinging handprint on her cheek and screamed at her to leave. She was so stunned; she didn't even ask for an explanation and quickly went home. After that, they never truly spoke again. Not knowing what to make of this behavior, Rinoa could only have felt betrayed and hurt. Her only real friend had cut off all ties with her for no plausible reason she knew of.

Alexandria, though Rinoa didn't realize this until later, was very, very angry. And that anger grew so cold and so deep, that it slowly transformed into hatred. Still, an air of civility was upheld, the other girl saw to that at least; she was very punctilious about maintaining appearances. She may not have outright sneered at Rinoa, but she did her best to make her unhappy.

"My daughter, Alexandria," Rialm introduced with a wave of his hand. "Say hello to General Caraway and this is Commander Leonhart. And I'm sure you remember Rinoa?"

She swept to the ground in a correct curtsy and then smiled at Rinoa charmingly. "How could I ever forget Rinny? How have you been darling? I read about your entire saving the world ordeal and the whole time I couldn't help but think that it was an absolute tragedy what happened to you."

Alexandria made it a point to stare at her Odine bangle. Rinoa had to try very, very hard not to wipe the concerned look off the other girl's face.

Against Alex, she became rebellious and proud, and in the process, found her real self. She hated the arrogance, the backstabbing, the pretending. It was all so complicated when it didn't need to be. She could never understand why she couldn't go where she wished, when she wished, with whomever she wished without raising a scandal.

That was why she found it so much easier to identify with those outside Galbadian high society. With them, she was normal. Having a dream besides marrying into an influential family, increasing political power, building a regime of fear and respect, was common. She hadn't quite realized how limited her world was until she met people like Wade and Zone. Running away to Timber and becoming a rebel was one of the most fulfilling choices she'd made in a life where she'd made almost none. Still, however different she was now, she could not help but still be bothered by Alex.

"I'm perfectly fine Alex. I don't think it's a tragedy at all if I saved the world from total annihilation," she managed through clenched teeth. "But thank you for worrying about me."

"Oh you don't have to thank me. What are friends for after all?" Alexandria patted Rinoa on the cheek affectionately with a touch that made her skin crawl. She refrained from flinching through sheer willpower, not caring to give Alex the satisfaction of seeing her disgusted. Still, something bothered her about the other girl's actions. The same loathing, visible only to her, was still there. But for Squall, she reserved a long calculating gaze that worried her deeply.

Alexandria was not the type of girl who flirted with just any boy. There was reason behind her conquests; some purpose not realized until it was all over and he was sent packing without really knowing what had happened. She knew that was what happened with Seifer. Her first love – and Alex took him away in one fell swoop. He'd nearly bitten her head off when she asked him about her "childhood friend". So she knew that he'd had his heart broken too – all because Alex had wanted to hurt her. And she couldn't let that happen again, not with Squall. She would kill for him and she definitely had the means now as a full-fledged sorceress.

Murdering her probably meant that she'd be imprisoned and shot into space again to orbit for a few centuries though.

"I'm glad you girls are still friends. After all these years, I thought you'd have grown apart," General Rialm seemed pleased at this.

There'd been a time when Rinoa had considered telling him about how cruel his daughter really was, but she doubted he would have believed her. Like any other parent, he was blind to her vices and had more pressing matters on his mind than looking after a troubled child. Again, her soft spot for the general was obvious. She really didn't want to see him suffer at all. He was more of a father to her than her own up until the time she and Alex had stopped being friends. And if he was happy if she kept quiet, she would.

"But back to the matter at hand Commander, what do you think is the most suitable course of action?"

Squall scowled at being put on the spot again and he didn't like to see Rinoa so unnerved by the latest arrival. "I don't know – You'll have to ask the headmaster about that."

"But _you_ are the Commander--" The general started but was interrupted by his daughter.

"Father, you've been defeated by your own logic," Alexandria said patiently. "Since he is the Commander, he wouldn't be able to oversee _all_ of SeeD's operations. It'd be physically impossible. I'm sure they have a more efficient system than the Galbadian military where a few men are overburdened and the rest vacation weekly."

He only seemed slightly mollified at this explanation, but enough for Squall to feel thankful for her interjection.

"Now then, all of you, this is the Augustan Ball! And it only comes once a year! You workaholics can work the other 364 days some other time," she tugged at her father's arm insistently. "Come sit with me like you promised."

"I suppose you're right dear," he patted her hand tenderly and looked at the rest. "Feel free to join us if you like. Tonight is my night to gorge, as my daughter says."

"Squall and I aren't hungry. Airplane meals are really filling you know," Rinoa spoke quickly, eager to be away from Alexandria. Fortunately for her, the girl didn't seem intent on her company too and didn't point out the ridiculousness of her comment.

"Oh what a shame. It was good seeing you again Rinny. And a pleasure meeting you as well Commander. We'll have to have dinner sometime," she smiled at her own vindictive joke, and Rinoa suddenly felt even more anxious to get Squall away from her.

"I'll take you up on that offer Sebastian," Caraway said before turning to his daughter. "Perhaps a private setting would be better next time Rinoa. If there is a next time."

She kissed her father on the cheek, feeling a little more warmth towards him now. "There will be Daddy."

He nodded, pleased at that, and turned to leave. At last, Rinoa and Squall were as alone as they could be in a crowded ball room.

"Who was that Rinoa?" His ice blue eyes betraying their stoicism for worry again. "You seemed really nervous around her."

"I was – she's just an old friend. But our past is the past… let's not dwell on it. I don't ask you about yours do I?" she recovered, now teasing him.

"That's only because you know I barely remember mine," Squall scowled.

Rinoa smiled at him lovingly. Squall acting like Squall was always comforting to her for some reason; he stayed the same in any situation. She rested her head against his chest, suddenly tired. It'd been a long, fretful day and she was grateful when he mistook the act for affection and held her close.

"Promise me something Squall?" she whispered, knowing fully well he would, even if she had told him to instead of asking.

"Anything."

"Don't fall in love with her."

He seemed surprised but didn't protest; his only reaction to hug her more tightly. "I love _you_."

After a few moments, Rinoa stirred and he released his hold on her. She seemed to return to her normal, cheerful self as she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well now that _that's_ settled, I think it's time we enjoy ourselves. I can't remember the last time you took a break."

"Whatever," he replied honestly.

This caused Rinoa to laugh, much to his chagrin. "You're such a workaholic Squall. But don't worry, I can fix that!"

She playfully grabbed his hand to lead him to the dance floor but stopped when she saw two familiar faces grinning and waving at her.

"RINNY!" Their voices were shrill enough to break eardrums; even Squall flinched visibly at the sound.

Rinoa didn't seem to mind the volume as she waved back eagerly but did notice his growing discomfort.

"Old school friends," she explained. "Why don't you get us a drink Squall? I'll be right here. You don't mind do you?"

He glanced at the giddy approaching girls, shook his head no, and was off. Ignoring a room of people was much easier than two flitting teenagers, staring intently at his scar up front, and up close.

Searching for a server, he found a waiter rather quickly, lifted two glasses off his silver tray, and was about to return to Rinoa as slowly as possible and blame it on the crowd when he spotted the familiar silhouette of one Alexandria Rialm. As if reading his thoughts, she swiveled her head and looked straight at him. Alarmed, he immediately turned around, but from the way the hairs on the back of his neck were standing, he knew she was already approaching. No time for any sort of escape.

"Commander?"

With his back towards her, Squall took a large gulp of his wine and pretended not to hear.

"Commander Leonhart!"

Damned if she wasn't persistent. Now people around them were starting to peer at him.

"Don't call me that," came his reply. He faced her halfheartedly.

"So you _are_ the modest type. I suppose you don't like being called 'mister' either," Alexandria mused aloud. "What about just Leonhart then? I don't really know you well enough to call you Squall."

"Whatever," he fell back on his old technique; it worked 9 times out of 10 in driving females away though Rinoa, Quistis, and Selphie were immune.

She didn't seem discouraged by his answer unfortunately. Squall was beginning to think his method didn't work anymore. Faster than he could even react, she'd pilfered the glass in his other hand and raised it.

"A toast to our new acquaintance then," she smiled and consumed half the glass.

He was mildly impressed by the display. Having been around Rinoa for so long, he imagined all social butterflies to be almost allergic to alcohol.

"Oh you're surprised? Not everyone is as soft as Rinny." Again, she smiled, and this time, he noticed that she was very, very pretty. No wonder Rinoa had been worried. She could probably read and manipulate people without them ever noticing anything other than her beauty. But he wasn't going to fall for it.

"I'm not interested in you. So whatever you have to say, say it already."

Her pleasant expression didn't change. "No, you're not are you? Interested, I mean," she replied thoughtfully. "Well then. I'll be frank with you. I hate Rinoa Heartilly. If I could, I would destroy her without a second's notice."

Squall tensed. "I won't let you."

"I'm sure you can protect her very well -- physically. Maybe you could even keep her by your side night and day. But that's not the point. Rinoa will always be a little unhappy because in that small mind of hers, she wants everybody to accept her and love her for who she is. I can't imagine how much she's suffering now when half of the civilized world thinks she's a monster," Alex chuckled a little too much at this for Squall's liking.

"Rinoa's not like that," he defended, unsure. Somehow, she seemed to catch that uncertainty in his voice, in his posture.

"Oh. Do you really think so?" Here, she turned the full force of her red eyes on him and he knew she was right. Rinoa was so sensitive to others, so fragile. He couldn't protect her from the blame the world put on her, the blame she put on herself. Satisfied with what he was now thinking, she continued. "She knows that I hate her. And because of that, she's afraid of me."

"Why?" He was puzzled at this. Having lived his whole life wanting people to hate him, to leave him alone, it never occured of him to be scared of anyone.

"Because she's afraid I'll take you away."

"That won't happen," Squall said quickly.

"I'm sure it won't," She looked at him again, in a way that made him uncomfortable. "But that fear will always lurk in her mind. That someday, someone will take away the thing most precious to her. Maybe it'll even worsen over the years; she'll become a little more paranoid every time you leave, every time you're away from her side for a moment. Maybe it'll stay the way it is now, just a little something to tug at her heart whenever she sees you talking to another girl."

At this comment, Squall immediately swept the multitude to see if Rinoa was watching them. To his great relief, she was busily occupied by her friends, laughing innocently, her heart full and content for the moment.

"So now you know why she was so nervous around me," Alex paused. "I think one dance will cover that."

"What?" He frowned. This girl changed frequencies faster than he could keep up.

"For telling you why your lovely companion was fidgety around me."

"I never agreed to that," he scowled at her, berating himself for playing into whatever trap she'd laid out for him.

"Hm. I suppose it is unfair that I didn't tell you the conditions beforehand," Now she pursed her lips in disappointment. A second later to Squall's annoyance, she clapped her hands together happily. "Well, this time, I'll be sure to warn you."

"This time?" he scoffed at her assumptions. "There is no 'this time'. I'm leaving."

"Oh but then you'll miss out on the deal of a lifetime," she caught his arm before he could flee into the congregration. He brushed her off roughly, wishing he had Rinoa's friends staring at his scar than this.

"Hear me out Leonhart," Alex laughed at his obstination, a melodic sound. "Don't you want to hear how to make your girlfriend truly happy?"

He stopped. Did she really know how to make Rinoa stop staring into nothing, stop looking like she would burst into tears at nightfall? Looking at the girl's brimming confidence, he doubted it. But if it would make her leave him alone, it'd be worth it. "Fine. Tell me."

Squall immediately regretted saying that when her face turned mischievous. Cupping one hand over his ear, she whispered something he wouldn't care to repeat to anyone; needless to say, if someone were looking hard enough in that general direction, they would've seen the emotionless Squall Leonhart blush a deep, embarrassing shade of red.

"Stop messing with me."

"But you're just too much fun!" She giggled but then sobered at his cold countenance even as her dark red eyes danced in amusment. "All right, I'll stop teasing. The wine must be making me lightheaded." She feigned a sigh when she saw he didn't buy it. "On to my proposal. In exchange for dancing _one_ set with me -- yes you heard correctly, one set -- I will promise to leave one Rinoa Heartilly, _completely_ alone from now on. I'll even throw in a heartfelt apology for all the torture she thinks she's been put through."

"No," he replied without a moment's hesitation. Again, that silvery laugh.

"Think about it Leonhart. It's only five minutes out of a lifetime for the sake of the happiness of your beloved sweetheart. That isn't, too much to ask for, is it? That is, if you really love her at all," she said sweetly.

Squall knew that he'd been very, very, manipulated, and that felt unpleasant if anything else; but there was nothing he could do about it now. And if it was for Rinoa -- he'd put up with this girl for a lifetime if he had to. Five minutes was nothing. He knocked back the rest of his wine and set down his glass so forcefully as to alarm more than a few people with the sound of cracking glass.

Alexandria merely proffered a hand to lead him to the dance floor, not even remotely affected by his show of anger.


	2. Chapter 2

Up until a moment ago, her friends had been buzzing, eagerly filling her in on the latest Deling news. This mostly consisted of gruesome fashion trends, handsome billionaire heirs, a loss of a favorite hat, and the taste of finely pressed grapes on a summer day at the beach. She'd missed them, true. But she couldn't believe she'd ever been so engrossed in those sorts of topics. Still, seeing them scan the dance floor for scandalous behavior was better than them pretending she didn't exist. Actually, though she was surprised to admit it, she was glad she had friends who were too airy to be afraid of her.

"Oh the ball this year is so boring! No one's here at all!"

"What are you talking about?" Rinoa murmured, rather busily delving into the deserts. "There's a room full of people."

"Rinny, quantity does not equal quality! Oh there are a few generals here (like your father), low ranking politicians, second rate athletes, and maybe some mediocre celebrities. I think that singer over there has only one hit song and that was two years ago! Really, I think the most interesting person here is Commander Leonhart," Billee corrected. "I still can't believe you manage to snag a guy like him! He's absolutely dreamy"

"I don't know about 'dreamy'. But I guess it is sad if Squall is the most interesting person here," she tried not to laugh at her friends' perceptions.

"Oh don't laugh Rinny, it's not our fault we don't get to see some of the most famous and good looking men in the world everyday!"

"Yes, this party must be dreadfully boring for you. Last year's was much better, wasn't it Fran? I wonder why there's no one important here now. The last Augustan Ball had the most handsome young actor, I forget his name, but he nearly made every female in the room faint on the spot. Of course Alexandria had to go and ruin it for the rest of us and make him fall all over her but -- "

"Speak of the devil! Look's like Alexandria's struck yet again," Fran murmured sympathetically. Rinoa frowned at the mention of that name. "Poor bastard."

"Oh who is it this time Frannie? Can you see?" Billee squinted at the dancers as they circled the floor.

"It doesn't matter who it is. I would rather catch up with you guys than give Alex the attention she so desperately wants," Rinoa tried to maintain her composure and continued eating her slice of cake. "How has Marcus been? And Jo? I think the last time I saw her was at whatshisface's Christmas party a few years ago."

Her friends seemed to ignore her questions, more intent on identifying Alex' mysterious partner. "Come on guys -- I'll start feeling offended if you'd rather gawk at Alexandria than talk to me," she joked, trying not to be worried at their intense interest. Squall still hadn't returned with their drinks; but then again, he probably wanted to avoid Fran and Billee for as long as possible. With that thought in mind, she bit into a croissant, savoring the rich taste. Balamb could keep its hotdogs; she'd rather have Galbadian pastry.

"He looks rather familiar don't you think Fran?" The shorter girl craned her neck.

"Hmmph. I can't see as well as you can with your head in the way! --Oh. Oh my. Isn't that…?" She glanced almost fearfully at Rinoa.

That was when she tilted her head and looked in the same direction. All she could see were two figures waltzing gracefully on the marble floor -- but even from that distance, from that angle, she recognized them, clearly -- Squall dancing with Alexandria. And her heart stopped.

For some reason she could barely fathom, for a thought only half conceived, she felt like she'd lost all control of her body; the only thing she was aware of was a pain in her chest and a strange cold, sinking sensation.

Rinoa stood up, her chair tumbling back in surprise at the movement.

"Oh Rinny don't make a scene! I'm sure it's nothing. It's a ball after all, they're just dancing," Fran whirled around to comfort her friend. "If you go now, you'll just regret it later -- "

"How can I regret saving my boyfriend from that bitch? Let me go!" She said with so much anger that many bystanders turned to look at her and then back away; still the two girls clung to her avidly.

"RINNY!" Billee wailed, holding tightly onto her arm. "Look where you are! You'll be all over the newspaper in the morning if you go now!

"Really Rinny, the press will slaughter you. Jealous Sorceress Nearly Kills Innocent Girl," Fran clasped her other hand with no intent on letting go, talking quickly all the while. "Not that Alex is innocent at all, she deserves anything coming to her. But I know you hate all the talking!"

"I won't let her steal Squall! I won't! Let go!"

"As your friends, we're begging you to stop!" Two wide eyes stared at her with genuine concern. "DON'T DO THIS!"

Rinoa paused in her struggle, looking at the crowd around her. Reason slowly reached her mind as she saw the shock in their eyes, the fear. She dropped her arms and nearly broke into tears.

How could someone she hadn't seen in years _still_ have this much control over her?

Realizing she'd returned to her senses, Billee and Fran rushed to hug and comfort her, tell her that everything would be alright. She was grateful for their touch as she sat on her knees, dazed.

Then it happened. The light flicked off so suddenly she didn't even realize it until she found herself staring at black where her hands should've been. A torrent of voices rose up in that darkness, rising and twisting around her. Quiet whispers turned into shouts into screams and she knelt down on the floor, covering her ears, shivering.

_The sorceress! It must be because of her! That's why the lights went out! Did you see her just now? She practically looked like she was about to murder someone. I don't want to die! Not here! I want to go home! Why did this have to happen of all days -- of all places? I thought it was safe here -- but they even let witches in. That's practically like inviting a monster in to eat with you!_

Rinoa let out a whimper as the voices clawed at her, both real and imagined. She didn't even notice how Billee and Fran curled around her and shielded her like Angelo would've done when they saw that she wouldn't get up. Huddled like that, she waited for it all to stop, waited for Squall to rescue her.

And he came, just like he always did.

She felt his presence even before she felt his hands reaching for hers, pulling her up, pulling her into his arms.

"Are you alright Rinoa?" He asked worriedly, fingers searching her face. Somehow he'd found her in that terrifying darkness, through the panicking crowd, past the freshly clothed tables and knocked over chairs and found her. He'd told her before that somehow, someway, he always knew where she was. It wasn't an exact science; he couldn't picture where she was located and go there. But he felt some kind of a pull, a little tug, that led him to her when she was in danger, when she was scared. Never before had she been so glad that she was a sorceress and he was her knight.

"I'm fine," She swallowed down her mounting alarm and remembered something that had escaped her in the haze of hysteria. "Squall, what were you doing dancing with Alex?"

He actually chuckled. "She told me if I danced with her, she'd apologize and leave you alone."

"And you believed her?" Rinoa was annoyed at this. It was one thing for Alex to screw with her, it was another thing with Squall.

"Not really. But I thought she'd leave me alone after that," He said very seriously. She burst out laughing at herself and her foolish notions. Squall could never fall for someone like Alex; he'd be too annoyed at her constant chattering.

Squall was a little more than surprised at her reaction; but he held himself together better than Billee and Fran who were now gaping at her, shocked at the change of behavior. That was when he seemed to actually note their presence.

"You two better leave. If someone attacks Rinoa, I can't protect all of you."

They looked at him dumbfounded, not realizing how vulnerable their lives were.

"I can't believe someone would actually attack Rinny," Billee sniffed.

"Can't we stay?" Fran said as bravely as she could, but her lip was quivering slightly. 

"No, you'd better go. I don't want you getting hurt because of me," Rinoa hugged them tightly. She didn't deserve friends like these, especially after she'd left them behind without a word and now placed them in so much danger just because they were near her. She'd have to avoid them from now on to keep them safe.

"Come back and visit us soon Rinny!" They whispered, not knowing her dark thoughts, and moved away, their bodies soon fading into black. She sighed, knowing that _that _was all the goodbye she'd get.

Alone again, she saw that the area around them was now deserted. Apparently the guests had instinctively moved away from her as soon as the lights went out.

"What now Squall?" She couldn't bring herself to speak at a normal volume. The congregation had quieted as the minutes ticked by and nothing strange had happened. Now there were only whispers and the thickness of dread as it remained dark.

"We wait," He replied just as quietly.

"Shouldn't we try to get out?"

"No, they might be waiting to ambush us."

"But what if we're trapped here along with everyone else?" 

He blinked; well at least she thought he did. It really was too dark to tell really.

"That won't happen," he replied, unconcerned, though she noticed him reach for a gunblade that wasn't there. She also remembered how she'd insisted that he didn't equip any guardian forces when they left Balamb. Except for her powers, which she'd rather be mortally injured before she'd use them, they were utterly helpless.

So she worried as the sound of a thousand glass shards hit the floor. Their brief respite was over and the screaming began anew.

Before she could even react, Squall had already tossed aside the chairs and pushed her under the nearest table. He was beside her in seconds, holding up the edge of the table cloth to peer out. They must've looked ridiculous, hiding there. But better that than being trampled by a stampeding mob, she thought. Apparently, sprinting in high heels wasn't too hard, as evidenced by the crowd of fleeing young women -- especially when being chased.

By who? Rinoa tried to differentiate between the guests and whoever had broken in. But human eyes and human ears can only pick up so much in the dark. She touched her Odine bangle again, feeling it tingle against her skin. No, it wasn't worth it, she thought. Not yet.

Her reverie was broken by a harried voice calling for her; she recognized even above the chaos. "Rinoa! Rinoa where are you?" 

"Daddy?" Squall tensed beside her. She glanced at him, attempting to pacify him. "It's just my father."

"It's not that," he answered abruptly, then, "They're not after you."

"What -- " she started but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of her father's troubled face under the tablecloth.

"Rinoa! I thought they'd gotten to you before I could find you," General Caraway was not an easily perturbed man. He had compelled thousands of young men into battle without blinking, told them to lay their lives on the line, commanded them to leave their families behind and march to a sure death for years and years after all. But now anxiety filled his voice, spilled over onto his face, shook his hands.

"I'm fine Daddy." How many times had she said that today even if she was far from it? Enough for her to be glad that nickels didn't exist. "Squall was with me the whole time." Almost true.

"I was worried anyways." He didn't even glance at the younger man. "Come with me -- You shouldn't be here. We should leave."

"Squall said we should stay put," she said, looking at him for confirmation. But his mind was elsewhere and he didn't notice.

"Don't be foolish! He may be a commander now, but I've been a general far longer. Staying in a place crawling with unknown enemies is not the best or sanest idea," her father snorted and grasped at Rinoa's hand. "Come on Rinoa. Commander Leonhart and his suicidal tendencies can stay behind."

"Daddy, no! -- I'm not going anywhere without him!" She clawed at him to let go, but he was just as stubborn.

"It's not safe here!" He ran a hand through his usually meticulous hair, frustrated.

"Squall --" she cried out.

Finally, he answered. "There's no point in moving now. They got what they wanted."

Caraway opened his mouth to begin his angry tirade that included a rant about allowing his daughter to be in so much danger and and a statement about the imbalance of his state of mind when he was interrupted, and rather rudely too.

"Just listen."

"What am I supposed to be listening for? The sound of screaming? Because I hear plenty of that and I do _not_ want my daughter to join in!" He looked like he was about to punch Squall, then stopped. A very familiar voice suddenly became very clear from the rest. One that made Rinoa screw shut her eyes to drum out the sound and her father pale a little.

No one else seemed to realize the situation but them. People were still running about, trying to get out, trying to hide. It was utter turmoil; made only worse when a shadow would reach out to grapple a passerby, discover a hiding place, or even follow some around the ballroom. They were everywhere, those shadows. Garbed in black, armed to the hilt. No one heard yet another cry for help.

"LET ME _GO_ YOU MONGRELS!" Alexandria screamed. "GET YOUR _FILTHY_, _WRETCHED_ HANDS OFF OF ME!"

"Shut up you noisy wench!" hissed an unknown man. He was hastily trying to stuff a gag into her mouth but was obviously failing miserably.

"I'LL HAVE YOUR _HEADS_ WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER! DON'T THINK I WON'T FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE BECAUSE I _WILL_ AND THEN YOU'LL BE TERRIBLY, _TERRIBLY _SORRY YOU _EVER_ LAID EYES ON ME!" All this she said without even stopping to take a breath. Then there was a loud sound that made Rinoa cringe and made Alex stop. Someone had slapped the girl hard enough to silence her.

"Good Hyne. I'm glad Sebastian isn't here to see this," Her father murmured.

"He left?" She could see Squall furrow his brow.

"Yes, someone came in with an urgent message when we parted and he went to see to it. I wonder if it was all just a set up for _this_ elaborate scheme," he paused in quiet thought. "There was a phone call for me at the front desk, but I was stopped by colleague on the way -- Perhaps they wanted me gone too."

Squall looked out a little longer in thought. Then, "Stay here," he ordered. "Don't you dare --" Rinoa grabbed his hand. Her voice cracked as she realized his intentions. "She can _die_ for all I care!"

"Don't say that Rinoa, it isn't like you," Squall cupped her face in his hands, trying to calm her. "I have to go. I won't let them blame you for something you didn't do. I'll go get her back and this will be over and they'll see you had nothing to do with it."

"Whatever you're thinking Commander, it isn't a good idea. There's too many of them and you don't even have your weapon," Caraway warned, but Squall was already getting up.

"Please take care of her --" he paused as if he didn't know what to say. "General."

They seemed to hold a staring contest for a few seconds; one where her father backed down.

"Fine," he replied sharply. "But I get the pleasure of killing you myself if you don't come back to my daughter. Understood?"

Squall nodded, stepping back. "I'll be back."

"No, Squall! Don't go. Please don't," She clutched at him desperately, breathlessly. They weren't after her -- but she still couldn't find words for the profound fear she felt that left her so dizzy and off balance. She tried to show him, really she tried. But even if his eyes were now accustomed to the gloom, he couldn't see her tears, her panic, as he kissed her goodbye.

"I don't care if they blame me," she now whispered as her father wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "Why didn't he stay?"

"Because he cares more about you than you do yourself. Because he loves you."

And she began to cry without really knowing why.


	3. Chapter 3

The moment he was some distance away, he was almost overcome by a herd of silky, useless creatures slamming into him, begging him for help. They were in runny mascara tears, scratching at him with perfectly manicured nails and shrill voices. He couldn't shove them away quick enough. Still, they'd distracted him long enough to lose track of his objective in thegloom.

After her first screams, he hadn't heard her voice again and the ballroom was quickly emptying, leaving no doubt as to which was hers. This either meant that they were outside, had successfully gagged her, found some other means to shut her up, or all of the above. Bad news either way.

Scanning the enormous room, he only saw more figures fleeing from dark figures, struggling in their formal wear. They all looked alike really; but they weren't the same ones, the ones he was looking for. Realizing they'd probably made it out if he still hadn't found them, he sprinted towards an exit.

What he found outside the doors was even worse. It seemed that most of the guests had already escaped from the confining hall and were now running like their heads chopped off since no one was around to assure them that their lives were in no danger. Most of the reporters that had been hanging around earlier had also fled the scene. As he went by, he could see entire divisions of guards lying in pools of their own saliva; apparently they'd been knocked out before the forced entry. Hoping that no one was around to see him, he stuffed a stolen pistol and several pouches of ammo into his belt and continued on his way. Except for the occasional pattering of feet and terrified whispers, the night was very, very quiet.

He ran around the perimeter of the building, lungs aching from the effort. They couldn't have made it that far without him seeing something, anything.

Then out of the corner of his eye, a movement in the dark. At first it looked like a group trying to keep a single hysterical female calm and mobile, and he thought nothing of it. But there was something about the way they moved, the way she flailed, that made him take a closer look. Now it seemed that she was fighting against their lead, and rather ferociously too. From that distance, he could hear the muffled screams, the rustle of her white dress in the still air.

With a heave and a grunt, two men tossed her into the back of an unmarked dark colored van while one swung into its front. As its engine roared to life, Squall noticed the sound of another vehicle driving towards him, its headlights bouncing on the pavement. He'd thought he'd been spotted at first and rushed to the nearest cover. Instead, it was only another van, identical to the one he'd just been watching, heading in the opposite direction. A decoy, he thought. A well-executed plan. Causing an uproar to hide the true goal of kidnapping Alexandria Rialm.

Squall ran to where he thought one of the parking lots would be and cursed; the cars had been left in neat little rows, most with no room to maneuver out, all part of some elaborate system to prevent traffic jams for the guests to go and stay as they pleased. The lot seemed empty and he wondered if some of the employees had been warned beforehand of what would happen that night or if they had merely bolted at the first sign of trouble. Luckily, someone was always left behind when the latter happened. Beside a gleaming row of cars that screamed 'you can't afford me and if you can, I'm not for everyday use anyway!' he found a young valet shivering.

"Do you know what happened?"

The boy shook his head shakily. He'd probably been thrilled when he was told he could work that night for the Augustan Ball too. Squall eyed the cars, searching for one with both enough speed for a pursuit and room to get out.

"Give me the keys to that one," He said forcefully, spotting a red coupe. If they were scared enough, they'd give him anything he wanted when he used that tone.

"I can't sir, I'll get in trouble!" Apparently, this valet had some backbone.

"Give me the keys," He touched the pistol at his side. It must've been what he said the second time around as the teenager nearly tripped over himself to fetch the keys. "You'll get me fired!" The boy wailed as Squall climbed into the neat little sportscar and backed out, tires squealing. The last time he'd driven was right before Edea stuck an icy popsicle through his chest; not a fond memory.

"I'll bring it back," he tried to calm the teenager but then saw it was a lost cause as the valet curled into a ball and began to sob. Switching on the headlights, he sped off in the same direction he'd seen the first van go.

--

It didn't take him long to find it. They were going at the speed limit, trying to look inconspicuous on the quiet streets. He switched off his headlights and followed.

Their destination was not obvious at first. They didn't turn when he thought they would, and they turned when he thought they wouldn't. But soon it became clear what they were doing as the amount of cars lessened along with the amount of lights.

He'd been trailing them at some distance when he realized his mistake at driving so slowly. A civilian car had inched up behind him, honking its horn when they noticed him in the dark. He imagined the driver of the van looking in his mirrors and clearly seeing his red coupe lit up by the other car's headlights. Without delay, the van sped up and whipped around a corner.

Squall swore and floored the accelerator. After a few minutes at full speed, he caught up rather easily, finding them on yet another deserted road. It was a straightaway; apparently the driver had calculated in the van's slow turns.

The first time he tried to race alongside the van and impede its path, he was rammed into a streetlight he barely avoided. They were letting him get ahead if they could make him crash first. For a time he could only follow, the two of them propelling down the roads far beyond any legal speed limit, unbothered by Deling police and its denizens. Each time he thought he could sneak up, the van would swivel to the left or right, blocking his path on the small street. He frowned, searching for an opening.

Finally, he got one when the larger vehicle suddenly turned, trying to catch him by surprise. Although the driver had done a good job of not going wide, Squall had already squeezed into the narrow space, his car lurching onto the sidewalk and then, in front. He'd counted on them taking another straightaway street and was glad to see that it was lined with barriers and buildings; no chance for a surprise hi speed turn or u-turn.

At the same time he blocked any attempt from the van to escape his control, he slowed down their speed. The driver seemed to be growing desperate, swerving this way and that way on the road. Finally, in what seemed like a last ditch decision, he rammed through a chain link fence and into the woodlands beyond. Squall swiveled the wheel sharply, running down another part of the fence. He was going to get berated later for destroying city property. At first it was mostly open ground with a few trees serving as obstacles. But as they raced deeper into the forest, the trees grew thicker and thicker together. There were no longer patches of open ground, only knots of intimidating trunks, determined to block their passage into the forest's inner domain. The van was having more trouble than he was at avoiding a collision, but he saw he wouldn't have much more time or space to maneuver his vehicle into a favorable position and stop the chase completely. So he took the first chance he saw, completely forgetting his promise to bring back the car. Revving up alongside the van, he turned sharply, ramming the front of the coupe at an alarming speed into its side. 

The sound of metal screeching and tires flailing filled the night and his eyes shut involuntarily. Consciously, he was relieved that he'd get to go home now, that his job was done. Subconsciously, he hoped he hadn't just killed the person he was trying to save.

---

Rinoa counted the ripples in her cup of coffee listlessly. It had been hours now and she was sure that the itchy wool blanket they'd insisted on throwing over her shoulders was turning her skin a nice, rash color.

Not that it mattered. They still hadn't found Squall -- or Alex, she added as an afterthought. Nearby, General Rialm sat hunched over in grief, a hand shielding his eyes from the bright flashing lights of police cars. Her father stood next to him, offering comforting words that obviously weren't working.

Supposedly they were now combing the city for the both of them -- but there was still no sign, no concrete evidence of where they went. A few scattered witness reports of a red coupe racing around the city; courtesy of a heroic valet, who had stayed behind despite the danger. Then nothing and more nothing.

She'd seen Billee and Fran's white faces in the crowd once but had looked away, and they went home with the rest, the victims. Even if she'd been huddled under a table for the entire duration of the incident, with her father along side her nonetheless, even though she'd been scared and frightened too, she apparently had been dubbed the culprit, the villain.

Of course they didn't say that outright. General Caraway _was_ her father and they had reputations and careers to think about. But they'd questioned her more times than all the other guests put together, long after their numbers thinned and disappeared into gleaming limosines, forced her to stay even though she knew nothing and more nothing.

Why blame it on a mysterious group of enemies when they had a sorceress sitting right there in their midst, so liable to murder and kill?

Rinoa Heartilly was the only reasonable explanation they could give to the ignorant, irascible, concerned public, the true criminals having oh so conveniently escaped before the police had arrived. She could barely hide her disgust when she saw a few policemen glancing at her fearfully.

Selphie had nearly blown off her earpiece when she'd called her and told them what'd happened. She'd hoped the red-haired Trabian girl would assure her that she'd be coming in the Ragnarok if she had to blow apart all of Deling to find Squall. Instead, three concerned voices and Seifer's sarcastic one, joined her in destroying Rinoa's hearing.

They'd questioned her even more relentlessly than the stubby, discontented officers with their coffee logged notepads and budget pens had. Zell was anxious, Quistis was concerned, Irvine was thoughtful, Selphie was frantic, Seifer was laconic, all drilling out every single detail they could, significant or not. She became even more worried when they became quiet after each of her answers, as if looking at each other and shaking their heads in bewilderment. These were the best of the best, the elite of SeeD, world-renowned heroes, Squall's closest friends, and they were just as confused as she was. The phone call ended with Zell trying to tell her things would turn out alright, just stay calm, Squall always pulls through. They'd be there in the morning after getting permission from Cid and search if their commander hadn't turned up by then.

And that was why she was still sitting there in her silk gown, perched on the backseat of her father's car, counting how many ripples there'd be if she blew on her cold coffee.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for the reviews! FF8 is insanely old but this story has been bothering me to write for a long, long time. However my backlog of stuff has run out and I'm in a slump so I won't be updating every single day anymore lol.

---

What exactly happened, he wasn't too sure about. But when he opened his eyes again, there were metal and parts of a tree where the passenger's side should've been. He unbuckled his seat belt and sighed with the honest relief of someone who had barely managed to escape death. Tugging at the door handle, he was surprised it still opened easily. The little sports car was sturdier than he thought. Quickly he looked around for the van, not sure how long his headlights would hold out with the battery leaking. He found what he was looking for nearby.

And he'd thought his coupe had it bad. Apparently, the impact had rolled the larger vehicle over, leaving it to barrel into a tree and lean heavily against another trunk. The overgrown plants were withstanding the abuse rather well. From the way the front of the automobile was unrecognizable as part of a van, he didn't doubt that the driver was already taken care of. As he circled around the back, he still didn't hear any movement from. Were they all dead, knocked out, or was it just a ruse to lure him in?

"Alexandria?" Now he really hoped he hadn't killed her; that'd make things even more complicated, something he liked to avoid.

A rustling sound answered him from within. Squall would've sighed in relief if he didn't also think it could've been one of her captors trying to kill him. Paranoia came easily with being a SeeD.

He took out the pistol that had managed to stay tucked in his belt, readied it, and held it straight out in front of him. With his other hand, he pried open the only working door.

Darkness. But as he looked more carefully, inside, the sight of two unconscious, probably heavily injured men and a dangling girl in a white dress greeted him.

Whichever genius had decided to tie her hands to the netting on the side of the van had probably saved her from some grave injuries as the van recoiled from his deliberate crash. But now in its tilted position, left her suspended by her wrists from the ceiling.

At the sound of the door opening, she thrashed about to get his attention. Gagged, blindfolded, and hands and legs bound, they'd done an excellent job of making her completely immobile. He attributed this thoroughness to her struggling too much.

"Stay calm, I'm going to get you down." He snatched the nearest shard of glass he could find lying in the grass and as carefully as he could, sliced apart the straps holding her upright. Upon her release, she teetered towards him, unable to support her weight. In the end, he had to lug her body all the way from the back of the van to somewhere with more light in order to see the ties. He didn't want to chance cutting her and hear her scream for the rest of the night.

As the gag and blindfold fell away, the first words out her mouth were, "Oh. It's just you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Squall immediately regretted removing the gag. Already he was irked just by looking at her. He hated that someone he barely knew could affect him like that. Rinoa's influence really had is downsides sometimes.

"Oh nothing," she said as nonchalantly as she would've if they'd still been dancing at the ball. "I didn't think you'd show your face to me after breaking our deal."

"W-what? I danced with you like I said I would," he growled and set about cutting apart the rest of her ropes. She was tied up and still accusing him.

"Not for the whole set!"

"I just saved your life."

"Trust me Leonhart. You're not the first, and you definitely won't be the last," she smoothed her dress when he was done, then noticed he was still glaring at her. "What is it? You weren't expecting a thank you were you?"

He looked away. Now that he thought about it, he really had expected some sort of thank you. A normal person would've done that.

"Ah hah! You were! Human after all, I see," a dazzling smile lit her face for entirely the wrong reason.

"Whatever."

His answer and their circumstances didn't seem to discourage her sudden cheerful mood. "So how do you propose we get back to civilization Leonhart? Is someone coming to pick us up?" She eyed the state of the van and the coupe. "I'll drive if I have to."

"We'll have to spend the night and walk back when the sun rises," Squall scowled at her insinuation and their situation. But there was no helping it now. They'd gone in too far and swerved and turned too much for him to figure out the direction of the city. If he remembered correctly, the only forest that near Deling was to the north east. When the sun rose, he could find his way back.

"What?" Finally, he'd surprised her. Fortunately for him, the rest of her angry protestations were drowned out by the sound of helicoptors flying overhead. Lights from above appeared, gradually circling more tightly before landing on the wreckage.

She laughed next to him as he stared up in disbelief. "You almost had me fooled Leonhart. I thought you were serious for a moment! You really must be important for them to send copters so quickly." She waved her arms about and called up to them.

Squall looked about helplessly, trying to decide what to do. He'd expected them to go after her after all the effort they'd put in, true, but how had they gotten here so fast? Did her captors had trigger an SOS when they noticed he'd been tailing them, was there a tracker on the van, was she bugged? He looked at her dress with its layers of cloth and netting and despaired. There were too many different scenarios to think through -- what mattered more was getting out of there he decided.

"Run!" He grabbed her hand roughly and started.

"W-wait!" She whirled around at his pull and nearly fell. He only responded by dragging her away faster. "You realize we're running away from the people rescuing us!"

"They're not rescuing us, they're after you." However his face had looked at that moment, she believed him.

"But how could they know we were here?" she asked, now hushed into docility. She broke into a choppy run. "We only just stopped!"

"I don't know." They'd reached a somewhat denser part of the forest as the whirling sound of the rotors grew louder, then quieter. Bright, flashing lights passed by overhead as the helicopters rushed over the forest and away.

"Are they leaving?"

"Maybe."

They were struggling past a particularly defensive bush when there came the distinct sound of howling, growing anticipation for an easy hunt. Squall glanced at Alex, hoping she'd allay his fears. The girl knew how to disappoint, whispering to him, "There aren't any wolves around Deling!"

He concentrated on dodging the foliage again. "Bloodhounds then."

They ran faster in silence until the sound of canine snarling faded. Alex was keeping up as well as could be expected, but every so often she stopped. The hem of her dress would catch and tear, her hair would get twisted on a branch, her shoes would lodge in a root. She begged for him to slow down a dozen times, but his need to get away was too great. Finally she tripped and fell, ripping her hand from his, along with the straps on her heels.

"Leave them."

She tore off the other pair and ran.

Finally, after what seemed hours, it seemed that aside from their ragged breaths, the forest was quiet and still, its denizens already asleep even if its intruders were not. Their pursuers must've still been examining the wreckage or had only begun following them.

"Alright Leonhart, we need to stop now. I'm not a soldier like you are -- I can't march uphill both ways in the snow for seventy miles." She sat on an outcropping of rock with a huff and refused to be moved. "We should be more than far enough away by now anyways."

"We're not going to be completely safe until we're out of this forest. If they want really want to get you, and by the looks of it they did, they'll use those bloodhounds to track us -- " Squall paced in front of her, the adrenaline still pumping in his veins. He paused as he saw Alexandria tenderly touch her feet, fingers coming away red and grimy.

"What happened?"

"You're not too perceptive are you?" He scowled at the comment. "Obviously, they're bleeding for lack of shoes."

"Why didn't you say something?" He knelt down to examine the injuries, feeling a little more compassion towards her. She was tougher than he could've ever thought in his wildest imagination, running all that way with the soles of her feet completely torn. They'd need to be bandaged and she wouldn't be able to run much further.

"Did you not hear me say, 'Stop Leonhart, I need to rest.' 'Leonhart, slow down!' 'Leonhart, I can't go on -- "

"Alright, I get the point!" Alex smiled at his snappish response. She seemed to have developed some perverse need to harrass him at any given opportunity.

"You should've worn something more appropriate anyways," he grumbled and sighed, his eyes falling on her dress as the only suitable material for a bandage.

"I can only plan so far ahead enough. I'd taken into account that I'd be dancing and that they'd have to match my outfit, not for a midnight stroll in a forest. My apologies -- " Then, she saw where he was looking. "I didn't take you for a lecher Leonhart."

"W-what? I wasn't -- " He fell back in surprise.

"Don't think I didn't see you trying to peek up my dress!"

"That's not what I was doing -- " He protested too quickly. Alex smirked impishly at him. "Rip off the hem of your dress and use it as a bandage," he finished lamely.

She clutched the tattered edge, looking devastated at the thought of further damaging it. His expression left no room for argument.

"Fine! It's ruined anyways." Her hands tore remorselessly at the bottom of her skirt and pulled away two long uneven strips of cloth. Without a word, she handed one to Squall and began wrapping one injured foot; she didn't even complain as he expertly and very tightly bound her other one.

"You'll have to change it again later," he noted as he applied the bandage.

"I'm going to run out of a dress if this keeps up," she replied wryly as she watched him. Then her tone was serious. "How long will it take us to get out?"

Finished now, he stood up and replied honestly. "I don't know." She looked agitated at his answer. "Don't worry, we'll get out of here soon," he reassured.

"Don't lie to me." That vulnerable state was gone. "Not only do you not know where we are, but judging by how long I was in the van and how far we ran, it'll take us days to get back on foot!"

"If you already knew, then why'd you ask?" He retorted.

"Because we have no clue where we are, no food, no water, no shelter, no shoes -- and here you are, sitting there, telling me it's going to turn out just fine! That when I wake up in the morning, I'll be in my bed and this will all seem like a bad dream. So, how am I supposed to trust you with my life when you lie to me like that? Hm? When you try and delude me like I'm just some little ignorant girl with no clue? I've been in more life harrowing situations in the last few months alone than you've experienced in your entire lifetime! I've been blindfolded, gagged, tied down, in the dark, all alone, hoping I'd die before whoever was standing behind me succeeded doing what he wanted to! I've had to wait for someone to kill me while all I could do was watch!" She took a breath. "Understand? ARE YOU LISTENING LEONHART? You better be because I will slap you silly, and trust me when I say I know how to slap someone silly! There are several girls at the academy with swollen cheeks that can attest --"

Squall blinked several times as she ranted. Luckily he'd perfected the art of tuning out whole bodies of conversation and still managing to catch an important detail that made it seem as if he were paying attention, but really he wasn't.

"So you don't trust me and you've been kidnapped before?"

Alex broke off mid-sentence, irritated. "I've gone over that bit already but apparently you weren't paying attention! Do you want me to repeat my ordeals in full detail -- ?"

"No!" He said quickly. She seemed disappointed at being denied the chance to listen to herself talk. "No, it's just -- why are they so intent on you? Why so much effort? Tell me why they chanced an attack at a highly publicized event, had decoys, chanced helicopters, employ bloodhounds -- all for you."

"Your guess is as good as mine Leonhart. I've been threatened all my life, but no one's ever acted on it until recently."

"When I was talking to your father earlier, he said he was a part of some negotiation -- could that be it?" Squall frowned in thought, trying to recollect the conversation. He hadn't thought much of it then. Many people were kidnapped due to a relative's status every year and SeeD would be hired to get them back, only to be kidnapped again later when some new controversy was involved.

"I suppose," she mused, twirling a lock of hair around a finger. "I don't know anything about it. My father never talks about work to me."

"Nothing? At all?"

She nodded.

"Nothing he might've let slip out when he wasn't paying attention?"

She stared blankly.

"Nothing you may have overhead?"

She shook her head.

"Alright listen," He knelt down again, looking her straight in the eye. "This is your life that's at stake, not mine. You have to trust me. I'm all you've got. But if you want me to help you, you better give me a damn good reason why they're after you. Because if you can't, then there's no point in going back. You may as well spend the rest of your days in this forest where they can't find you. Otherwise you're going to be doing a lot of running or hiding for a very a long time until they forget why they ever wanted you in the first place or you die. Whichever comes first. And I doubt that's what you really want."

Alex closed her eyes and leaned her head back against a tree. "I do trust you Leonhart, whether you believe it or not. I'd glad you saved me. I'd rather be sitting here with my bloody feet than wherever they were trying to take me. But, I don't know anything. I don't know why they want me. I don't know why any of this happened."

Squall sighed and got up. His long speech had been his final hurrah to get information out of her too. "There's no helping it then. Time to go."

Her eyes popped open. "Oh can't we rest a little longer? Please? Pretty please?"

"No, they've probably already started looking for us. We've stayed here too long. We can rest longer after we get rid of our trail, which is going to be harder after you bled over half the forest."

"I've already apologized, why must you keep bringing it up? How are we supposed to do get rid of our scent? I've heard bloodhounds can track prey for miles," Squall didn't answer, imagining an icy cold river or pond he'd have to drag Alex into, kicking and screaming. "My feet are aching so badly now. At least let's walk. I don't think I can keep up if you ran."

"That's alright, you don't need to walk."

"I don't?" Her face brightened.

"Climb on my back, I'll carry you."

Alex glowered, but got on anyway. "Now, just so you know, the two soft, squishy things you feel on your back are called breasts! I just thought you'd like to know since if you've only been with Rinoa, you wouldn't know she even has any! Let me tell you, human males simply go bonkers over them --"

"Do you want to walk?"

She shut up at that and they went on for some distance in relative silence. If it weren't for the spill of brown hair on his shoulder, the slightly heavier weight on his back, he could envision that it was Rinoa he was carrying. Alex's presence made him miss her intensely. His burden squirmed a little as if knowing what he was thinking.

Some moonlight filtered through the tree tops, offering just enough for Squall to pick out his way, The trees seemed to be getting less dense, which could've meant there was a clearing ahead or two good things -- they were exiting the forest or running water. Sure enough, he thought he could hear something -- it was far off but clear --the sound of barking.


	5. Chapter 5

Well then, it's been awhile hasn't it haha! I've had this part written for awhile so thought I would post it… just because. Sorry it's so short :x.

---

"So what should we do?" The time difference between the far west side of the Galbadian continent and Balamb was at least 6 hours, leaving two of the usual motley crew crammed into Selphie's bedroom just as the sun rose. Said owner of room had run off with Zell to the cafeteria, promising to be back with hot dogs and fresh coffee in a 'jiffy'. Irvine upon realizing who the remaining occupants of the room would be, summarily offered to help. The remnants of their early meeting were half dressed, bedraggled, with differing levels of annoyance written on their faces.

"Sleeping would be good," Seifer half stood up from his seat at her desk only to be stared down and back. He tsked at the venomous response from a female a head shorter than him. "Keeping me here isn't going to magically bring back your precious commander any sooner," he complained when she didn't back down.

"Because Hyne forbid you think about anyone but yourself for even a minute," Quistis snapped from the furthest corner of the room. The lack of sleep and the ungodly hour had frayed her nerves so severely she'd forgotten to hold back her temper.

"No, my dear instructor, you are incorrect," the tall blond replied hotly. "Unlike you, _I_ have actually thought the situation through. I then decided that you're all fucking _overreacting_. Squall has been missing for all of 3 hours and you're already discussing a rescue plan."

"We haven't decided anything," she protested. It was true. They'd only thrown out some ideas on how to find Squall before one Trabian girl decided they needed a cure for crankiness.

"Not yet, but you will. I can see it twisting and turning in your little minds. Puberty boy must be in danger because he went into the forest and somehow managed to get lost. Now we have to go save him because Hyne _forbid_ he can take care of himself. I think we all need to have a _little_ more trust, don't you?"

"That isn't the point Seifer," Quistis answered, massaging her temples. "Squall is our _commander_. We can't have him getting 'lost in the woods', even if it is for a few hours. It looks bad for him, _and_ us. Please try to remember that you're SeeD -- with what the rest of the world calls _responsibilities_ -- not a kid, not a cadet, not a sorceress' knight."

"You just always have to bring that up don't you instructor?" He'd straightened up in his chair now, suddenly looking both menacing and torn in a worn wife beater and pj bottoms. "People kill children, attempt genocide, start bloody wars, and the world doesn't give a damn. A sorceress manipulates me into being her knight and it's held over my head for the rest of my fucking life."

She bit her lip, wanting to take back her words. She'd forgotten how the military courts and the press and his conscience had all taken their toll even on him. Any attack, physical or verbal, caused him to lash back ferociously.

"No I didn't," she said more softly. "And people aren't going to blame you for the rest of your life. Time heals all wounds and erases all memories you know."

"So when will it be my turn? When am I going to heal and forget?" His voice was bitter but his eyes were desperate for an answer she couldn't give.

"I'm sorry, I don't know," Quistis shook her head sadly. "But it had to be said Seifer. You should know how paranoid people are about sorceresses nowadays. We're supposed to be the only institution that can fight back and our leader is missing. You know the kind of panic that'd start?"

"I know," he grunted in response.

"Then act like it." She eyed him levelly, measuring his reaction and hoping her message had gotten through. The last time she'd cared enough to look beneath his nonchalance was at his trial and that wasn't an experience she didn't intend on repeating. And since that time, she knew he'd put up enough walls so he could hide and change into someone she almost didn't recognize. She'd be lucky if she would be able to catch it any more -- that telltale glint in his eyes. Lucky for her, those dark blue eyes staring back did glint. Noticing her intense gaze, he rolled his eyes and looked away. 

"Fine, but don't expect me to like it." She was sure the answer came out more immaturely than he'd intended.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Quistis stated, half smiling, half sighing, glad that some things never changed.

---


	6. Chapter 6

Another short chapter sorry :X But at least a quicker update right?

---

Her bedroom was exactly as she remembered it -- as cold and lonely as Ultimecia's castle. Rinoa twisted her lips at the comparison, looking around. Her old collection of dolls and stuffed animals stared coldly back, not getting the joke. She figured they wouldn't. With a deep sigh, she let herself fall backward onto her canopied bed, not caring to explain it to their glass eyes.

Then she shifted to her side and curled up into a ball.

When did her home start feeling like a prison? Rinoa wondered lazily. She'd always told herself it was when her mother died. But the fact was, she'd clung to the memories left behind in this place. Many happy memories. Then she didn't want to think about it anymore and sat up with a huff.

She exited 'her' room and headed straight for their library. Books were the best sleep aid ever invented as far as she was concerned. As she padded to her destination in bare feet, a light from her father's office and the murmuring of voices stopped her in her tracks.

On any other day, she would've moved on. Her father often had late night meetings with his coworkers; simply because all Galbadians were born nocturnal. It was the familiar tenor of General Rialm's voice and the anxiety that laced it that gave her pause.

"It's my fault Richard. They took her because of me, because of what I'm doing."

"We don't know if it's because of _that_. You've made more than one enemy in the past."

Rinoa inched closer to the door, careful to keep her presence hidden. Perhaps it was a good thing she hadn't been able to fall asleep.

"Yes but -- it can't all be coincidence! Did you see how few people were at the ball? And the phone call from my secretary when I'd specifically asked her not to -- "

"Sebastian, my good friend." There was a pause. She guessed that her father had moved across the room by the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor. "There's no point in blaming yourself like this. You lose both time and energy better spent elsewhere. Learn from my mistakes -- focus on getting your daughter back first before you fall apart."

She heard a sigh. "You're right."

"Now get some sleep -- we won't find out anything until day light." The men continued chatting about lighter matters and Rinoa thought it was best to make an exit.

She swiftly continued her way to the library in deep thought. General Rialm was blaming himself because he thought he was at fault for Alexandria's kidnapping. She remembered him mentioning his part in some negotiations to Squall but she didn't know what they involved. Whatever it was, it sounded dangerous. She could only hope her father was right and this was some other smaller, personal vendetta. 

---

"Shit," he muttered darkly under his breath.

"What is it?" She'd grown sleepy clinging to his back, but now was fully alert. There was another yelp. "Good Hyne, will this night never end?"

"Hang on tight." Squall dashed between the trees, hoping against hope that there was something that would save them. Luck was on his side that time. The sound of gurgling water became more apparent the farther they ran. As they broke through the last barrier of vegetation, a wide stream spread out in front of them, its waters gleaming in the moonlight. 

"We have to cross," he said, letting her down from his back. It was too dark to judge its true depth but the other side was near enough. "Can you swim?"

Alex nodded wordlessly. It may have been the middle of the night and freezing cold, but there was no room to protest. She tested the temperature with one foot, shuddered, and then waded in. Squall followed in.

When the water level reached higher than his waist, he shuddered involuntarily. It was so cold that it was painful. Alex seemed in even more pain, wincing at every step she took on the riverbed. The middle was deep enough to swim and they kicked noisily across in silence.

Upon reaching the bank, Alex collapsed to her knees, trembling, and didn't get up even when he pulled her arm.

"Don't stop moving, you might get hypothermia," Squall said fearfully. She fell limply against him, still shivering. "Come on, don't give up yet!"

"You say that like freezing to death would be easiest solution," she replied through chattering teeth. "I'm not dead yet in any case. Just give me a moment to be a weak girl please."

He was tempted to smile. Definitely more tenacious than he'd given her credit for.

"Well I suppose there's one thing good thing about swimming across a river at night -- my feet are too numb to hurt now," She stepped away from him gingerly. It was then that he noticed her dress clung to her like a second skin and looked away. She studied him so intently for a moment that he thought she knew what he'd seen.

"Give me your jacket."

He breathed again. When he took it off, the night air assaulted his skin in his thin t-shirt, goosebumps raising on his arms.

"That's better," she sighed contentedly, wrapping it around her. The material for his SeeD uniform was thick enough to repel most of the water and prevented it from soaking through.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

Squall glanced back once, expecting to see the forest in its normal gloomy state. Instead, his sharp eyes caught the beam of a flashlight, and then a dark figure appearing at the edge.

"Hurry!"

They fled quickly into the cover of the trees. He looked back again, seeing a few men and their canine companions milling about at the sight of water, having lost their scent. But the figure from before was gone.


End file.
